


running around a cold and empty space

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, F/M, Future Fic, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:51:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: For the third time in her life, Caitlin is afraid to walk into STAR Labs.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: hurt/comfort  
> Prompt: Any, any, just hold my hand.

For only the third time in her life, Caitlin is afraid to walk into STAR Labs. 

The first was after the particle accelerator exploded, the first day she'd returned there after losing Ronnie. She'd been worried that every corridor, every office, would whisper his name, bring back too many memories, that she wouldn't be able to handle the ghosts of him around every corner. The opposite had been true though - the memories had brought her comfort, solace. 

The second was after her powers had been revealed, after they'd brought them under control. The collateral damage, had taken longer to repair, because she'd said things, done things, that she was afraid she could never back, never apologise enough for. She'd hurt people, physically as well as emotionally, and she didn't know if she was strong enough to live with that. She did know, though, that she had to try. 

She'd done it too. Built back the trust, the family that they'd once had. 

Until yesterday. 

The memory of Wally's horrified stare, Iris's gasp of shock, makes her wince and in the car beside her, Joe shivers, glances away from the road in her direction. She sees the movement from the corner of her eye, looks over at him and what he sees in her face has him setting his lips in a thin line. "Do I need to turn up the heat?" 

He's teasing her and she shakes her head, flexes her fingers and thanks whoever might be listening for the genius that is Cisco Ramon. "I'm just scared," she whispers, knowing she can be honest with him. After all, whatever she feels, he's probably feeling too. "What if they-"

"It's going to be fine." He looks back to the road, sounding more confident than she feels, more confident than he looks. 

"I don't know if I can walk in there." 

He blinks at that, his eyes growing wide as his head snaps briefly towards her. Then one of his hands leaves the wheel, closes over hers. It's warm and solid and wonderfully reassuring, the next best thing to a Joe West hug and she can instantly feel her shoulders relaxing. "Then just hold my hand," he tells her. "And we'll walk in together." 

That's the difference, she realises, between this and the two other times. 

This time, she's not alone. 

And this time, when she walks in through those doors, him at her side, her hand in his, it makes all the difference in the world.


End file.
